Is a Border Collie Right For You?

Border Collies are generally not recommended for pet homes UNLESS the pet home can provide the following:

Training - pet dog obedience classes beginning with Puppy kindergarten - essential if you still want to be the boss of your household!  Understand that you are in for lifelong behavior management to prevent new undesirable behavior from ruining your life (and your dog's).  Border Collies are not your average house dog, they come pre-programmed and hard wired for work.  Your pet Border Collie WILL need some kind of job to do.

Outdoor activity - LOTS of endurance exercise (like walking miles and miles, hiking, swimming etc.).  LOTS of playtime - fetch, Frisbee, tug games, etc.

A fenced in yard or other means to prevent potential escape artists from running onto the road to herd cars.

Previous experience (preferably with another high energy / high drive breed).  BC's are not the dog to get for your first family pet for the kids !


Owning a Border Collie means you have to go for walks even when it's cold and wet out!


 


It is highly recommended for potential owners of Border Collies to be:
  • High energy -athletic
  • Good problem solvers
  • Willing to give up other activities in your life to ensure your BC gets enough mental & physical stimulation.
  • Slightly neurotic
  • Have no life (only partially kidding!)

Before you get your BC puppy, it is strongly recommended that you:

Teach you kids good manners (ie. behavior around dogs) - This is absolutely NECESSARY.  Too many Border Collies end up in Rescue or in shelters because they are highly reactive creatures and are not tolerant of many things that another breed may be more tolerant of.  We do our best to expose & desensitize our puppies to many different people, object, noises, etc., but it is UP TO YOU to continue the desensitization / socialization.  The window closes at around 7 months - not a lot of time to show your pup every possible thing he may come into contact with in his life!!!
Buy a crate - and USE IT - for at least 1 year, probably more like 3 years.  Dogs love their crates, if they haven't been used as punishment.  It's like having their "own room".  You simply WILL NOT be able to house train your puppy quickly and effectively without one!
Buy a Gentle Leader head collar.  Buy two, a small one for when he's a puppy and a larger one for when he's an adult.  Go to obedience classes to learn how to use it effectively.  (Make sure you enroll in a positive method only class.  To find a trainer in your area go to www.cappdt.ca (The Canadian Association of Professional pet Dog Trainers) and www.apdt.com (Association of Pet Dog Trainers).  Do not assume that just because someone is giving classes that they are knowledgeable about dog behavior.  Go and watch a class first, without your puppy to see if the instructor's style suits you and IS NOT PUNISHMENT BASED.

Prepare yourself for 15 years of fun, challenges, bonding, games, tricks, problems, training (endless!) as well as possible addiction to one of the following dog-sports: Obedience, Flyball, Agility, Herding, Tracking, Frisbee or Freestyle.


 


Check out the humorous article: "The Truth About Border Collies"--complements of The Laughing Dog Press